News, notes, and anecdotes on the Fort Wayne TinCaps

After a Day Off, Baseball Continues in Ohio

Finest Wednesday greetings from Eastlake, Ohio, the home of the Lake County Captains. The TinCaps get back to work today after an off day yesterday–their first in 22 days–following an exciting, come-from-behind 4-3 win Monday night at Parkview Field.

You can re-live all the particulars of that one in this video recap:

Tonight the TinCaps face the Lake County Captains, the Midwest League affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. They won’t face any regular Class-A starting pitcher, though…they’re going to face MLB rehabber Zach McAllister, who has been on Cleveland’s disabled list since May 22nd with a strained lower back. More from The Morning Journal:

Two members of the Lake County Captains made their first appearances at Progressive Field on the afternoon of May 30.
Outfielder Brian Ruiz and catcher Shane Rowand were brought to the ballpark to be the hitters as Tribe pitcher Zach McAllister pitched a two-inning simulated game. McAllister threw 30 pitches in each inning.
“It went well,” said Manager Terry Francona. “He’ll take a day off, then throw on the side, and then two days after that he could go out on a rehab start.”

In past years when the TinCaps have faced rehabbing pitchers ,they usually never go more than a few innings. Captains pitcher Caleb Hamrick is scheduled to pitch following McAllister, and Lake County will be opposed by TinCaps righty Adrian De Horta.

Fort Wayne comes in with some good momentum, having won its last four series, dating back to May 22. However, in the series that preceded that, the TinCaps were swept here at Classic Park, getting outscored 20-10 over a three-game set. Surely, revenge will be on their minds.

ALL-STAR SELECTIONS

Midwest League President George Spelius announced the Midwest League All-Star Game roster today, and it includes three members of the TinCaps:

Outfielder Mallex Smith

Pitcher Tayron Guerrero

Pitcher Nick Mutz

Congrats to those three, who will travel up to Comstock Park, Michigan, the home of the Whitecaps, to represent Fort Wayne in the 50th Midwest League All-Star game on June 17th at Fifth Third Ballpark. Don’t forget that you can hear that game on ESPN Radio 1380.

Doc Emrick, widely regarded as the best hockey play-by-play broadcaster of this era, is best known for his vocation. However, what people might now know about him is something that he’s doing every day involving a pen, paper, and 49 cents. From USA Today:

“NBC’s lead NHL play-by-play man is writing a letter every day to a person who had an impact on his life. The recipients of the daily notes range from longtime producers and analysts to long-ago high school classmates, neighbors and people from his early jobs in the business.

“There’s so much that people did for you along the way that they probably thought was nothing at all,” Emrick said. “I wanted to tell them what it meant to me. It seemed like something that needed to be done.”

It’s not all too long of a story to check out, and it makes me smile when I read it. Think about how much mail you get in a given week, and how much of it goes directly into the garbage:

-New Pizza Place! TRASH

-Get this Super Airline Credit Card! TRASH

-20% off to Bed Bath & Beyond TR…Actually, no I might need that.

But when you get a letter, a real, hand-written, hand-addressed, letter from someone, it says something. It says that they cared enough about you to take time out of their day to stop what they were doing and write something to you because you mean that much to them.

I get a letter, usually once a week, from my grandparents, who I will have the pleasure of visiting over the All-Star break, and it is consistently the best part of my day when I open my mailbox to something from them, because it’s always a handwritten letter. I now find joy in writing cards and letters, too. There’s something special about it, especially the hope that the recipient will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Be kind to one another, folks. Life is short.

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